On Sunday morning, after spending a few beautiful days living on Mae Haad beach in Koh Phan-ngan, we took the ferry to Koh Tao. The sight of so many full moon party-goers passed out in the hot sun and on the ferry docks was very amusing. We really did feel sorry for a few of them! The ferry trip was very unpleasant (poor williiam really does not do well on boats); but the view of the clear blue waters of Koh Tao’s shoreline soon brought a new sense of excitement for us.

The first night on the island (this would be the Sunday) was spent at a nice coffee shop-owned room, where the hostess was very friendly. To our surprise, we discovered that a brick road had been built just off the coast, upon which, nestled together and competing for the same customers, was hundreds of restaurants, resorts, dive schools and shops. It was such a pleasant walk, going along this winding brick road and looking in at these establishments, with the sea creating a crystal blue blanket in the background on the left, and the island greenery complimenting it on the right.

We treated ourselves to a pizza and pasta at an Italian restaurant for supper– and we’re we delighted! It was comparable to the ‘authentic’ pizzas we’ve had in Italy. We actually soon discovered that Koh Tao has an obsession with Italian cuisine, with many pizzerias and Italian-run restaurants about. And they all serve the most delicious food (although after our once-off treat we refrained from splurging on it again).

Monday morning we were up bright and early: we had an all-day boat dive to get to. We made the march to the Big Blue dive club with all our luggage (quite a workout with those little hills in-between), and then met our dive master, who was a very pleasant young guy from Sweden. We had never been on an all-day boat dive before, and were immensely excited. Basically, it ran as such: you have breakfast on the boat with the group, before settling down for the long excursion to the first dive site. After completing two dives, one has lunch on the boat, whilst it sets sail for the next dive site. After the third and final dive, everyone gets a brownie; and then the boat makes its way back to the home base.

The first two dives were made at Sail Rock, which is the best dive site in the Gulf of Thailand. It is really a bizarre site, for al one sees from the boat is a massive rock formation that juts out from the water. But once in the sea, you realize that this rock is home to the most colourful and interesting sea life. Firstly, we made the trip down the ‘chimney’, which is a short but wide tunnel within the rock formation. One then pops out at the bottom, where the circling of the large rock begins. We saw such beautiful sea life! Our second dive was on the same site. The great thing about doing these group dives, is that everyone is split into small groups of 4 pax max, and so you get to know your little team really well. The other divers were also very entertaining and left our sides aching from laughter. It’s always interesting to hear other people’s dive stories, travel plans, and about their career lives.

Our third dive was made at Red Rock, one of three sites discovered by an Italian diver (and all named after the flag: Red Rock, Green Rock, and White Rock). The coral there was superb! We swam through a little cave, and then meandered along the coral formations before heading back to the boat. I must add that I did my first boat dive, which involves falling backwards with your kit on, into the water. It feels so unnatural and unpleasant at first!

When we got back to the Big Blue dive club we were happy to discover that they were able to check us into the free dorm rooms for divers. So we spent the night there, before which we had explored the other side of the Sairee village, with its many restaurants and bars. (We had decided to settle on Sairee beach for the entire duration of our stay, for it is the most lively beach, and very pretty).

The next two days were not very eventful, but what one can expect from island life. We found a neat restaurant that has a great beer special in the evenings, and so that become our watering hole for the next couple of nights. We also swam a lot, explored the various ‘villages’ about, and enjoyed the local cuisine. The Wednesday we did the coastal walk, which was both beautiful and confusing. You make your way along the coastline (practically on the cliffs and beaches), whilst walking straight through the private resorts that are nestled on the beaches. At first we were unsure if our presence would be considered as trespassing; but after a while we realized that it was the norm to meander through these gorgeous resorts and stop at the beaches which they have claimed as their own.

Thursday was to be our great day of exploration: we rented mountain bikes and marked off the beached we would visit. Did we regret our decision to rent the bikes! Koh Tao has the steepest winding hills before one reaches Ao Leuk beach; and we found ourselves pushing the bikes most of the way (our back brakes didn’t work well, so even downhills were a no-no). We gave each hill our best shot though! Luckily the beach was gorgeous, with deep turquoise waters to bathe in. We made one more excursion to two beaches that were joined on the shoreline by a cement walkway reaching across the boulders, before we headed home for a swim in Sairee beach and an evening rest. That night we went out for a little while, but our revelry was cut short by the many cloud bursts.

Friday morning we cycled to the rental shop, and then did the short jog back to our hotel. After a final dip in Sairee beach, we checked out and dropped our bags off at the ferry pier for safekeeping, so that we could walk about Mae Haad village and explore it once more. By lunch time it was sweltering hot, and so we had a dip in the gorgeous little bay with its deep crustal clear water. We were just on time though, for once we had reached the ferry pier to wait for our boat a dense mist had rolled over the sea and surrounding landscape; and then a storm cloud burst. Our trip back to Bangkok quickly turned into an unpleasant and delayed one (I’ll spare the details); but we finally arrived in the capital around 5:00 on Saturday morning.